The Jesuits And Their Offensive Mission

After the death of Ahmed Gran there was a gradual deterioration of harmony between the two types of Christians, Ethiopians and Catholics. The reason was that Bermudez insisted that Emperor Galawedos should submit himself to the Roman Pontiff. Bermudez himself wrote an account of an occasion when he tried to get the Emperor to submit to the Pope. On this occasion he arrived at the king’s tent and found him with his mother, Bermudez was received with much honour. He then addressed the Emperor: “...Much beloved son in Jesus Christ, you are aware of the fact that the most Christian King, your father now in glory, asked me to go to Rome, for himself and for myself to give submission to the High Pontiff; you may see here a letter signed by him which he gave me, that the high Pontiff might believe that your father recognized him as the successor of St. Peter of the Apostles of Christ – and that he considered himself subordinate to him with all his Kingdoms and lordships as were all the faithful and orthodox Christian Kings. Therefore conforming yourself with the will of God, you should submit yourself to the Holy Father, the Roman Pontiff.”
He further stated that if the emperor submitted he would be obeying God’s orders. He would then have in necessity for friend’s brothers and helpers, the kings of Portugal and all other Christian Kings. Galawedos refused to withdraw his link with Alexandria; he stated that Bermudez was not his spiritual father, nor a prelate but patriarch of the Franks and the Portuguese. Galawedos further warned Bermudez not to call himself his spiritual father in the future “… And that he would not obey the Holy Father of Rome”. Bermudez said, “ I held him to be excommunicated, and accursed. He (Galawedos) replied that I was excommunicated not him.”
A few days later a conflict arose between the Portuguese and Ethiopians. According to Bermudez, "..there were three entrances to the camp of the Portuguese, by which the Ethiopians could attack them". The Portuguese collected ammunition to fight as hard as they could. "..The ammunitions collected at those places were concealed powder pots, which they could ignite when the enemy came, and thus burn them..." Before the Ethiopians attacked, the Portuguese "...horse-men sailed out at midnight and beat up the King's camp". Then the Emperor's "...troops attacked all the three entries that led to our camp where the powder was. The powder was fired, and several of them were burned and killed, and the rest fled, scalded and roasted".
Bermudez added:"... the King, seeing the loss of his men, tore the rich garments he wore", which is the sign of great grief among the Ethiopians. At this time Abuna Joseph was on his way to Ethiopia from Alexandria. In order to avoid further conflict, the Emperor arranged that Bermudez and his people should settle in a certain section of the Province of Doara. They were given a lot of territory for their support. Nevertheless, they argued with the local people about submission to Rome and fought with the people of Doara.   They killed the governor of the province Calide and many poor Ethiopians and forced many of the rest to submit to Rome and the catholic faith.
As a result Bermudez was imprisoned and deported to Goa. After his failure Pope Julius III and the King of Portugal "came to a resolution of sending another Patriarch and two Bishops". John Nuguez Barretti was chosen for the Patriarchate and Melchior Carneyro and Andrew Oviedo as bishops. Along with them came an Ambassador and ten Jesuits, only Oviedo reached Ethiopia the rest stayed at Goa and one died there (Barretti).
Oviedo and the Jesuits prepared “ a treatise on the Ethiopian errors and the infallibility of our holy faith”, they further issued a circular letter in which they advised Catholics and the Portuguese to have nothing to do with such “Schimatricks”; the letter also condemned Ethiopians as refractory and Obstinate against the Church. It urged Ethiopians to forsake their religion and rebel against their king. Galawedos replied in a spiritually inspired document entitled confession of faith, which was accompanied by a final declaration “ never to submit to the See of Rome”. The Document stated: "In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God, this is my Faith and the Faith of my fathers the Kings, and the Faith of my flock, which is in the fold of my kingdom. “…We believe in one God and in his only son Eyesus Kristos, who is his word and power.” And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Vivifying Lord, who proceedeth from the Father. Thus do I proclaim and thus do I teach, I Galawedos, King of Ethiopia, in the name of my Kingdom, Atnaf Sagad the son of Wanag- Saged, the son of Noad.”
(Yesehaq, 52)
Thus, because of this declaration, The Jesuits were surprised to find that the king had no intentions from withdrawing from the faith of his ancestors. As a result, when Dom Sebastian, the sucessor to the Portuguese crown, learned about Galawdewos' unwillingness to accept Catholicism, he entreated Pope Pius V to recall the missionaries in Ethiopia and send them into China, Japan and other places where their labour might be more effective. This proposal was accepted, and in 1566 the pope issued an Order that Oviedo and the rest of the Jesuits leave Ethiopia and transfer to China and Japan. Oviedo replied:"...It would be more proper to send them assistance than to recall them, and that if he could obtain only 500 Portuguese soldiers he could not only bring the Ethiopians into the Roman Church, but many other nations and neighbouring princes, related to the King of Abyssinia". This demand was rejected by the King of Portugal. Seeing that he was not sucessful in his plan, Oviedo joined forces with the rebel governor of the sea, Isaac(the Bahrnagash), and with the Turks and other Moslems who at that time were at war with the Ethiopian Goverment.
However before completing his plan, Oviedo died at Fremona and his companions in the Jesuit mission followed him to the grave one after the other, including Francesco Lopez, who was buried in 1597. The continuous destruction by the Turks was disastrous for Ethiopia and the church. Galawdewos was killed by Ahmed Gran's nephew Nur and his head "..was claimed by Nur to show to Del Wambera, Ahmed Gran's widow, and it was afterward carried to Antioch and was placed in the tomb of St. Claudius who had suffered martyrdom during the persecution of the Christians under Diocletian". However, this did not end the conflict.
It continued until the reign of Emperor Fasiladas, who was against the Jesuits' missionary action in the country and who banished them first to Fremona and afterwards from all the land of Ethiopia.

*The Society of Jesus had just been founded in 1558, and Ignatious Loyola pleaded with the reigning pope for permission to inaugurate his new life with an Ethiopian Mission. He was not allowed to go. Instead the pope nominated the three bishops, among whom only Oviedo reached Ethiopia.